BJP MP Tejasvi Surya faced a challenging situation during a public meeting in Bengaluru when depositors affected by the Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha (SGRSBN) scam confronted him. The incident occurred at a Co-operative Bank Association brainstorming session with politicians ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, where depositors demanded answers regarding the delay in compensating them for their losses.
Video footage from the meeting captured the depositors expressing their frustrations to Surya and blocking his departure from the venue. Chaos ensued as emotions ran high, with allegations of heckling and manhandling exchanged between Surya's supporters and the aggrieved depositors.
The Karnataka Congress criticized Surya's conduct, accusing him of escaping through an "Emergency Exit Door" and displaying arrogance towards voters. Surya, who represents the Bangalore South constituency, has recently faced scrutiny over his significant increase in assets and is embroiled in multiple legal cases.
In response, Surya's office issued a statement alleging that Congress instigated the chaos by sending "hooligans" to disrupt the meeting. They claimed that a Congress worker incited the disturbance and received instructions from party leaders to escalate the situation.
The SGRSBN scam, which surfaced in 2020, involved misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs 2,500 crore by the bank management. While many depositors received partial compensation, over 15,000 depositors with larger sums have yet to be fully reimbursed. The Karnataka government has ordered a CBI-led probe into the scam, aiming to bring accountability to those involved in the fraudulent activities.
